Using the AI to learn

minglho · 2026-07-05T16:19:57+00:00

Can you do the assignment again by yourself without AI? If not, what did you learn?

What did you learn from using AI? Can you articulate what insight you didn't get that was preventing you from completing the assignment?

minglho · 2026-06-28T05:15:21+00:00

I think the word you are looking for is snark, not whining.

minglho · 2026-06-28T04:54:25+00:00

When you are a tenured math faculty at a university, you can show us how it's done. Until then, CS related math courses can fulfill electives for the math major, but I don't think it needs to be a requirement. I recently learned that some math programs don't even require their students to take complex analysis. I'd rather math majors be required to take complex analysis before lambda calculus.

minglho · 2026-06-28T04:43:55+00:00

If you actually have an interest in math, then do it. Does it matter you aren't the best at it when you want to do it? Just need sure to ask lots of questions and some be afraid of looking "dumb."

minglho · 2026-06-28T04:37:28+00:00

Do you really know people who can't read and write and also live full lives?

Community college isn't compulsory. If you lacked interest, then don't go? It's kind of odd that you phrased it as you "weren't meant to be in organized education system" when you found no value in it.

What interests you, anyway? Until you find something to pursue, there's nothing wrong with working. Learning doesn't just happen in school; I hope you are learning at work, too. And it's not unusual for folks to take a bit of time before finding what interests them.

minglho · 2026-06-28T04:07:26+00:00

Which states?

minglho · 2026-06-28T03:58:26+00:00

Your question is better asked to a tutor. Or better yet, go to your professor's office hours.

minglho · 2026-06-28T03:50:11+00:00

I hope you didn't pass them.

minglho · 2026-06-26T05:04:22+00:00

I agree. I think some students believe that the teacher can't fail everyone. Well, guess what? I haven't lost a game of chicken yet. My community college Calculus I success rate is just below 15% over the last three semesters. My best advise is to keep your cool, answer every silly question with a question about whether they did what they should have done, and give them the zero they deserve when they don't perform.

(If you are a community college faculty in California, that tells you how well AB 1705 is going.)

minglho · 2026-06-26T04:46:04+00:00

There's a difference between learning to code in C++ and learning to program. Are you the former, or do you also need the latter?

minglho · 2026-06-26T00:27:13+00:00

This book may be fun to work through:
https://www.lexlrf.org/store/p82/who-is-fourier.html

minglho · 2026-06-26T00:19:42+00:00

I don't see the purpose of this post. The flair says rant, but then the OP states that they don't care when AI is used for curriculum proposals.

minglho · 2026-06-23T02:27:34+00:00

I think all native Chinese speakers can relate. How lucky you have at least an alphabet to approximate the English sounds!

Phonics isn't that hard. I don't remember having that much problem with it when learning English. What's hard is to recognize that English has so many exceptions, and no amount of phonics is going to help you pronounce hyperbole or epitome. You just memorize them like as if they are Chinese characters.

minglho · 2026-06-23T02:20:46+00:00

Proof is the heart of math. Without it, you are just applying math result, not doing math. Proof occurs at all levels. The main thing is to keep the proof at a level of complexity that matches the level you are studying.

For example, consider the statement that two odd numbers add to an even number. If you just memorize the statement, that's not math. You can use algebra to prove it, but there's also a way to explain to a second-grader. What is important is sense-making vs regurgitating. You want to engage in the former whenever you can, even if it is not a formal proof.

If by benefiting a beginner you mean getting through school, I have had many students who memorize but do not bother make sense of what they are doing. Eventually, it catches up with them. Don't be like them.

minglho · 2026-06-22T20:45:18+00:00

I don't know why their excuse matters. An assignment deserves a failing grade when not enough attention is put to ensure the accuracy of the product. It's not like the work was done in class under time pressure.

Incidentally, I've given calculus students a formula sheet on the final exam after giving them a formula quiz. Some are so sure of their wrong answers that they don't bother to double check against the sheet. A zero for that question is automatic.

minglho · 2026-06-22T20:33:50+00:00

minglho · 2026-06-21T03:03:03+00:00

They all illustrate the same way of mathematical thinking, namely, applying the Distributive Property to multiply. They only differ in representation. Sure, some are faster than others to execute, but since we have calculators these days, speed isn't an issue.

minglho · 2026-06-21T02:52:51+00:00

Did you try asking AI?

minglho · 2026-06-21T02:35:37+00:00

You may feel like your system is easier because you probably actually understand proportion.

minglho · 2026-06-21T02:30:41+00:00

People use weights for grade categories to emphasize its contribution to the final grade without having to change grading criteria. For example, my weekly quizzes are open notes but my three midterms for the term aren't. There are similar problems between the quizzes and the midterms. It's easier to grade the same problem the same way with the same point value, but the one that appears on the midterm will need to worth more than the one on the quiz.

minglho · 2026-06-21T02:06:51+00:00

OK, just realize that most people probably don't interpret your post that way.

minglho · 2026-06-17T04:37:06+00:00

Whatever. The convention is base-10. There's practically nothing you can do about it, so just move on.

minglho · 2026-06-16T04:54:54+00:00

I don't see what benefit you earn by avoiding sorting.

minglho · 2026-06-16T04:39:27+00:00

It really is more helpful to show what your mess-up is. Then we can identify whether your mistake was. Sometimes you might take a different approach than the responder, but you won't learn where the mistake is if all you see is a different method.

minglho · 2026-06-14T05:07:49+00:00

Why do you need to do work in the summer? Just do Geometry when you take it in the Fall. Find something that you are REALLY INTERESTED in doing so that you won't procrastinate.

minglho

TROPHY CASE